Nanotechnology in the textile industry

1082012

We did a post on the use of nanotechnology in the textile

industry about two years ago, and new research has just settled the long-standing controversy
over the mechanism by which silver nanoparticles (the most widely used nanomaterial in the
world) kills bacteria. You know, all those new textiles that advertise that theyre bacteria and
odor free they are even claimed to prevent colds and flu and never need washing![1] Not to
keep you in suspense: the research comes with a warning: use enough. If you dont kill the
bacteria, you make them stronger. In honor of this new study (summarized below) were reposting our previous posts on nanomaterials:
Recently, I have been noticing various products claiming to have some kind of nanotechnologybased credential. Turns out thats because the nanotech tsunami is just gaining steam one tally
says that over 10,000 products using nanotechnology are already on the market. In the food
industry, the FDA says there are no nano-containing foods on the market in the U.S., yet DK
Matai, Chairman of the Asymmetric Threats Contingency Alliance, says that the USA is the
world leader in nano foods, followed by Japan, Europe and China[1]. The Environmental
Working Group has done its own count of lotions, creams, sprays, washes, cosmetics and
nutritional supplements on the market in the U.S. and has found close to 10,000 that contain
nanoparticles. And theres an app for that: The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies has an
iPhone app called findNano, which urges users to photograph and submit information on a
possible nanotech product for inclusion in its inventory.
Turns out that there are many who think the next Industrial Revolution is right around the corner
because of nanotechnology. They think that nanotechnology will radically transform the world,
and the people, of the early 21st century. It has the capacity to change the nature of almost every
human-made object. Whether that transformation will be peaceful and beneficial or horrendously
destructive is unknown. So naturally its become very controversial. More about that later.

It seems the better term is really nanoscience. Nanoscience is the study of things that are really
really small: A nanometer is one billionth of a meter (10-9 m). This is roughly ten times the size
of an individual atom. For comparison, 10 NM is 1000 times smaller than the diameter of a
human hair. How small is that? If a centimeter is represented by a football field, a nanometer
would be the width of a human hair lying on the field, offers William Hofmeister of the
University of Tennessee Space Institutes Center for Laser Applications.

From National Nanotechnology Initiative

Nanoparticles are bits of a material in which all three dimensions of the particle are within the
nanoscale: nanotubes have a diameter thats nanosize, but can be several hundred nanometers
(nm) long or even longer. A cubic centimeter of material, about the size of a sugar cube, has the
same surface area of a half a stick of gum. But if you fill that cube with particles that are 1

nanometer in size, the surface area of all those particles is an astonishing 6,000 square meters,
nearly the surface area of 3 football fields.Nanofilms or nanoplates have a thickness thats
nanosize, but their other two dimensions can be quite large. These nanoparticles can be designed
into structures of a specific size, shape, chemical composition and surface design to create
whatever is needed to do the job at hand. They can be suspended in liquid, ground into a powder,
embedded into a composite or even added to a gas.
Many important functions of living organisms take place at the nanoscale. The human body uses
natural nanoscale materials, such as proteins and other molecules, to control the bodys many
systems and processes. A typical protein such as hemoglobin, which carries oxygen through the
bloodstream, is 5 nms in diameter. Based on the definition of nanotech given above, biotech can
be thought of as a subset of nanotech natures nanotechnology.
Manipulating something so mind-bogglingly small is where the technology part comes in its
about trying to make technologies, such as computers and medical devices, out of these
nanoscale structures. Nanotechnology is different from older technologies because unusual
physical, chemical, and biological properties can emerge in materials at the nanoscale. Nano
particles have different physical properties from their macro or life-size scale counterparts. For
example, copper is an opaque mineral, but at the nano scale it is transparent. Some particles, like
aluminum, are stable at macro scale but become combustible when reduced to nano-particles; a
gold nanowire is twenty times stronger than a large bar of gold.
Molecular manufacturing is the name given to a specific type of bottom-up construction
technology. As its name implies, molecular manufacturing will be achieved when we are able to
build things from the molecule up, and we will be able to rearrange matter with atomic precision.
As I mentioned earlier, something so little understood is controversial, with many different
points of view. These differences start with the very definition of nanotechnology, and moves on
to what nanotechnology can achieve. Then there is the ethical challenge what is the moral
imperative about making technology that might help increase our lifespans available to all, for
example?
Finally, the concern about possible health and environmental implications is perhaps the most
controversial. The problem is that some properties of these tiny particles are unknown, and
potentially harmful, and scientists are still trying to determine whether their size affects their
toxicity. Scientists worry that the small particles used in nanotechnology could penetrate
biological barriers designed to keep out larger particles; also we dont have guidelines about how
much we can safely ingest without harm. For more on possible harm to human health, click here.
Nanotechnology has been discovered by the textile industry in fact, a new area has developed
in the area of textile finishing called Nanofinishing. Making fabric with nano-sized particles
creates many desirable properties in the fabrics without a significant increase in weight,
thickness or stiffness, as was the case with previously used techniques. Nanofinishing techniques
include: UV blocking, anti-microbial, bacterial and fungal, flame retardant, wrinkle resistant,
anti-static, insect and/or water repellant and self-cleaning properties.

One of the most common ways to use nanotechnology in the textile industry is to create stain and
water resistance. To do this, the fabrics are embedded with billions of tiny fibers, called
nanowhiskers (think of the fuzz on a peach), which are waterproof and increase the density of
the fabric. The Nanowhiskers can repel stains because they form a cushion of air around each
cotton fiber. When something is spilled on the surface of the fabric, the miniature whiskers
actually cohesively prop up the liquid drops, allowing the liquid drops to roll off. This treatment
lasts, they say, for about 50 home wash cycles before its effectiveness is lost. A corollary finish
is that of using nanoparticles to provide a lotus plant effect which causes dirt to rinse off easily,
such as in the rain.
Nanotechnology can also be used in the opposite manner to increase the ability of textiles,
particularly synthetics, to absorb dyes. Until now most polypropylenes have resisted dyeing, so
they were deemed unsuitable for consumer goods like clothing, table cloths, or floor and window
coverings. A new technique being developed is to add nanosized particles of dye friendly clay to
raw polypropylene stock before it is extruded into fibres. The resultant composite material can
absorb dyes without weakening the fabric.
The other main use of nanoparticles in textiles is that of using silver nanoparticles for
antimicrobial, antibacterial effects, thereby eliminating odors in fabrics. Nanoparticles of silver
are the most widely used form of nanotechnology in use today, says Todd Kuiken, PhD, research
associate at the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN). Silvers antimicrobial property
is one that suits a lot of different products, and companies pretty much run the gamut of how
many consumer products they put it in.

PENs database of consumer products that contain nanoparticles lists 150 different articles of
clothing, including athletic clothes, jogging outfits, camping clothing, bras, panties, socks, and
gloves, that are treated with nano-silver because it kills the bacteria that cause odor.

The new research mentioned above was published in the American Chemical Societys Nano
Letters by researchers at Rice University[2] , who found that the assumption that silver
nanoparticles are toxic to bacteria is unfounded.
Scientists have long known that silver ions, which flow from nanoparticles when oxidized, are
deadly to bacteria, and the assumption was made that silver nanoparticles were equally toxic. In
fact, when the possibility of ionization is taken away from silver, the nanoparticles are practically
benign in the presence of microbes, said Pedro Alvarez, George R. Brown Professor and chair of
Rices Civil and Environmental Engineering Department.[3] He said the straightforward answer
to the decade-old question is that the insoluble silver nanoparticles do not kill cells by direct
contact. But soluble ions, when activated via oxidation in the vicinity of bacteria, do the job
nicely.
To figure that out, the researchers had to strip the particles of their powers. Our original
expectation was that the smaller a particle is, the greater the toxicity, said Zongming Xiu, a Rice
postdoctoral researcher and lead author of the paper. We found the particles, even up to a
concentration of 195 parts per million, were still not toxic to bacteria, Xiu said. But for the
ionic silver, a concentration of about 15 parts per billion would kill all the bacteria present. That
told us the particle is 7,665 times less toxic than the silver ions, indicating a negligible toxicity.
In fact, E. coli bacteria became stimulated by silver ions when they encountered doses too small
to kill them.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted its first-ever approval to use nanosilver
particles in fabrics in December 2011, and is based on a conditional four year registration. .
Conditional means that the manufacturer must provide test results (within four years) showing
how the nanosilver particles interact with the environment. However, the EPA has a long history
of letting such approvals linter, and has already expressed concern about nanosilver particles
impacts on health, saying the approval will likely lead to low levels of human and
environmental exposure and risks.
Last year, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research examined what
happens to silver nanoparticles in fabrics during washing and found that these silver
nanoparticles actually wash out of fabrics so there is a high likelihood that the silver will
spread into the environment. Another study found that socks treated with nanosilver lost, on
average, half the nanoparticles embedded in the fabric during washing.
Among other well documented studies (see sites listed below) which have shown silver
nanoparticles to be highly toxic to bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms is one by Duke
University, in which it was found that silver nanoparticles negatively impacted the growth of
plants and also kills the beneficial soil microbes which sustain the plants. Nanoparticles likely
enter the environment through wastewater, where they accumulate in biosolids (sewage sludge)
at wastewater treatment plants. One of the ways in which the sludge is disposed of is through
land application, because it is valuable as a fertilizer. Whereas fertilizers add nutrients to the soil
that are essential for plant growth, plants also depend on soil bacteria and fungi to help mine
nutrients from the air and soil. Therefore, the antimicrobial effects of silver nanoparticles could
have impacts at the ecosystem levelfor example, affecting plants whose growth is dependent

on soil-dwelling microorganisms. Another study (Choi, Yu, Fernandez et al in Water Research

2010) found that once nanosilver is washed down the drain, its highly effective at killing the
microorganisms used to treat sewage in wastewater treatment plants, which could lead to bigger
problems with drinking-water safety.
The future for textile applications using nanotechnology is exploding due to various end uses like
protective textiles for soldiers, medical textiles and smart textiles. Consider the T-shirt. Research
is being done that will use nanotechnology-enhanced fabric so the T-shirt can monitor your heart
rate and breathing, analyze your sweat and even cool you off on a hot summers day. What about
a pillow that monitors your brain waves, or a solar-powered dress that can charge your ipod or
MP4 player? The laboratory of Juan Hinestroza, assistant professor of Fiber Science and Apparel
Design at Cornell University, has developed cotton threads that can conduct electric current as
well as a metal wire can, yet remain light and comfortable enough to give a whole new meaning
to multi-use garments. This technology works so well that simple knots in such specially treated
thread can complete a circuit and solar-powered dress with this technology literally woven into
its fabric. Dr. Hinestroza designed the fabrics used in a Cornell Univesity fashion show by
designer Olivia Ong, which guards the wearer against bacteria, repels stains, fights off allergies
and oxidizes smog. And costs about $10,000 per yard to make.
And yet, there is mounting evidence that nanotechnology requires special attention. Heres an
excerpt from an interview with Andrew Maynard, science advisor to the Project on Emerging
Technologies (PEN), from Technology Review:

Individual experiments have indicated that if you develop materials with a

nanostructure, they do behave differently in the body and in the environment.

We know from animal studies that very, very fine particles, particles with high surface
area, lead to a greater inflammatory response than the same amount of larger particles.
We also know that they can enter the lining of the lungs and get through to the blood and
enter other organs. There is some evidence that nanoparticles can move into the brain
along the olfactory nerve, so this is completely circumventing the blood-brain barrier.

There really isnt any consensus on how you go about evaluating the risks associated with
carbon nanotubes yet. In cell cultures, you have to have some idea what kind of response
youre looking for. We already know in some studies that the lungs see carbon nanotubes
almost as biological materialsthey dont see it as a foreign material. But then because of
that, they start building up layers of collagen and cells around these nanotubes. They
almost see them as a framework for building tissue on. Now, that actually may be a good
thing in parts of the body, but in the lungs you end up using up the air space. But without
that information, you wouldnt necessarily know what were the appropriate cell tests to
do in the first place.

The thing that concerns me is, there is very much a mind-set that is based on the
conventional understanding of chemicals. But nanomaterials are not chemicals. They
have a structural component there as well as a chemical component.

At the recent meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC),
more than 20 studies were presented on the fate of nanoparticles once they enter the
environment, and nearly all found that these materials were building up in organisms, such as
earthworms, insects, and fish, and having subtle effects on their abilities to survive
The Rodale website had some suggestions for those of us who are worried about smelly clothes:
Try nature and a little common sense.

Pretreat. Before you wash your smelly gym clothes, sprinkle some baking soda on them,
leaving it on for about an hour before laundering them to remove perspiration odors as
well as stains.

Launder with care. Because sweat can be oily, it can build up on clothing, becoming
difficult to remove with regular detergents and water. Add a cup of white vinegar to the
rinse cycle; vinegar helps break through oils on fabric, and it serves as a deodorizer. Or
hand-wash your clothes with shampoo, which is designed to cut through body oils.

Line-dry. Nothing cuts through bad odors like oxygen and sunlight. Let your clothes dry
outside, rather than in a machine, and youll save energy, make your clothes last longer,
and prevent offensive odors the next time you hit the gym. Read our Nickel Pinchers
line-drying story for the ultimate in line-drying advice.

Some other studies on toxicity of nanoparticles:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=nanotechnology-silver-nanoparticles-fishmalformation
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=34185
http://nanosafety.ihep.ac.cn/2006/2006.15.pdf
http://www.klgates.com/files/Publication/2b1f4c2a-298b-4948-9ce769f1396b61ac/Presentation/PublicationAttachment/bbdf8cdc-be42-4fa6-b9427263b449d0b3/Article_Stimers_Nanotech.pdf

[1] http://www.silvermedicine.org/silver-fashion-clothing.html
[2] http://www.news-medical.net/news/20120712/Researchers-settle-controversy-over-themechanism-by-which-silver-nanoparticles-kill-bacteria.aspx?page=2
[3] http://www.news-medical.net/news/20120712/Researchers-settle-controversy-over-themechanism-by-which-silver-nanoparticles-kill-bacteria.aspx